The Cost of Living
by Squishymeansyay
Summary: This is a clip from the life of Ellaki Llora, a shoe saleswoman. It may be a part-time job, but it puts food on the table. Er, bench. Formerly called Making a Not-So-Undead Living. As the old cliche goes: Come on in. She won't bite...


**A/N: **We don't want silver, we don't want gold...

(We also don't own Karin, or so we've been told)

It was sort of a picturesque scene, really. A tribute to lazy days and warm smiles. Through the hand-done tinted panes of a brick storefront, under a burgundy awning with SHOES emblazoned across it, bars of sunlight fell on smooth leather and light cloth, and a high wooden service desk with two forest green moccasin boots resting on it. These boots were attached to light brown deerskin leggings, which disappeared over the side of the desk, to reappear as a summery, light grey long-sleeved shirt with flared sleeves and black beading around the forearms. The sixteen year old girl had her sleek white hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, deep shimmering cobalt blue eyes focused intently on the pages of a book entitled, "The Passage". A faint smile rested on her rose-petal lips. One could, if they looked, faintly see the light green eyeshadow around her eyes.

The silver bells hanging from the door chimed gently, and she glanced up to see a pair of teenagers walk in. They were both girls, typical Japanese with black hair and eyes, and cheerful smiles. Marking the book with a random business card, the reader stood up and bowed.

"Hello girls. My name is Ellaki Llora. What can I do for you?" she murmured pleasantly. The two glanced up. "Oh, we were looking for some running shoes!" "Yeah, our PE teacher has been getting on to us, so..." Ellaki smiled knowingly. "I see. Any particular colors?" The first put a finger to her chin in thought. "Hmmm. Pink for me, I think." The other paused a moment. "And green for me, please." Ellaki gestured to a soft bench. "I'll be back shortly with a few pairs, and a measuring tool." The female turned away as the chatter started up again, headed into the maze of shelves and boxes to find the things she needed. In the shadow of a column of Nikes, she smirked, eyes tinted more ruby than sapphire.

She returned with a metal foot-measure, and a few boxes of various brands. Ellaki discreetly opened her mouth and scented the air, pleasantly surprised when her eyes found a purple, delicious aura around one of the girls. "Jackpot." she hummed. The customers turned. "What?" "I found a lot of shoes you might like." "Cool!" She settled in front of the less-delicious, but still delicious girl. "Foot please." The foot was given, and placed on the metal instrument. "Stand up, please." She tinkered with a metal knob on the side. "Seven and a half. Alright. Thank you..." The girl sat down, as Ellaki sifted through the pile of shoes she'd brought. "These three might do the trick. Feel free to take a look." "Will do!" She turned to the second teen. "Put your foot here, and stand up please." Throb. (Oh, for Pete's sake!) The process was repeated with the measuring tool. "Seven, huh? Let me see..." she muttered, sifting through the pile again, knowing very well what size the girl was at a glance, and also knowing that pink size seven running shoes were mysteriously absent from the pile she'd brought out. "I'm sorry. There should be a few in here... Would you mind terribly if I asked you to help me look in back? Two people looking will probably find them faster." The oblivious teenager perked up. "Sure! I'd love to help." Ellaki led the girl into the cardboard labyrinth, with a smug glance at the happy girl on the bench, trying on shoes without a care in the world. (I love my job.) the white-haired assistant mused, disappearing into the twilight stillness of the back area of the shoe store with a perky young girl behind her, eyes gleaming with dangerous, red excitement.

"So, where do we look?" the ravenette chirped, leaning slightly against the back wall. Ellaki paused a moment. (How to do this soundlessly...ah!) The teen had a short haircut, thankfully, so if she was bending down... "Try the bottom three rows on this wall. I think I saw a pair there." "Gotcha." The two began their search. Casually, Ellaki bent close to the girl. "What's this...?" she muttered, reaching past the teen's shoulder. "Hmm?" The helper looked up. (Too easy.)

The white-haired Ellaki's eyes gleamed with hunger, ivory fangs bared, body on fire, blood throbbing, panting with need. The seductive panting and greedy eyes fixed on herself made the young girl flush with awkward embarrassment and confusion. Her delicious aura thickened. "What..." Bent over the teen from behind as she was, trapping the human, the vampire ran her tongue around the shell of the victim's ear. Her skin tasted like vanilla. "What are you..." the girl whimpered breathily. "I'm tasting you." By this point, the vampire was DONE playing games. This was too much. So she hissed quietly, and sank her fangs into the pale throat of her newest meal.

Oh, she always LOVED this part. Fangs sliding smoothly in like a sword to it's sheath, slick, hot blood rushing, the sweet taste like expensive chocolate mixed with strawberry wine. The taste of her victim's embarrassment was intoxicating. She hummed with pleasure, listening to the faint, strangled whimpers of the human that made something low in her belly feel hot, and her fangs burn. (That'll be enough for a snack.) Slowly, carefully, she retracted her fangs, sucking on the wound once more for a burst of energy, and removed her lips. The fang marks were dry, already scabbing over. A nice, clean bite. Internally, Ellaki patted herself on the back. Touching the girl's forehead, there was a brief yellow glow, and her victim fainted.

(Operation: Snack time, half complete. Next!) "Miss? Um, miss?!" Ellaki shook the girl's shoulder gently, before hauling her onto her back and stumbling out of the back of the store. "Young lady? Your friend fainted!" she announced, the appropriate amount of worry in her voice. The now green-shod girl ran up. "Oh, no! Let's put her on the bench!" "I'll get some water." The victim was laid down on the cushy bench. Ellaki ran off to get a glass of water, and returned with a paper cup-full from the bottle in the mini-fridge. She kept it for these kinds of things. As the two checked the girl's pulse, the shoe clerk continued. "She just collapsed back there when we were moving a box. Maybe it was the dust?" "Maybe... It's really not like her." "It's too bad. We found some really cute shoes back there for her, put 'em in a pile back there. You're her friend... you'd be able to tell me which ones she might like best?" Indeed there was a pile of cute pink size seven running shoes that had been set aside earlier, which she had purposely set aside from the pile she had carried out the first time. "Yeah. I'll pick out a few for her, since she must be really tired." "This way." Ellaki smiled, and led the girl into the labyrinth. (El laberinto del vampiro... La Llorona.) Ellaki grinned. (I love my job.)

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**A/N:** Pumpkin ravioli for anyone who knows what my first author's note was talking about. Anti-bat zapper for anyone who's read The Passage. Also a large squishy hug for anyone who can guess what Ellaki Llora's name means. (Shout out to all my fellow Bleach fans! Yay!)

Fare thee well, my beloved readers! You give me fluffy fuzzies!

(insert insane review request of your choice here)


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